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'I leaned over and caught him, but just barely,' said teen who saved toddler from 3-story fall

Austin Konpacki

Austin Konopacki of Jackson caught a two-year-old that fell from a window on Thursday at the Renaissance Apartments on Michigan Avenue in Jackson. He stands in front of the window on Friday, June 20, 2014.

JACKSON, MI – A Jackson teen saved a toddler from a three-story fall at an apartment complex on Thursday after he heard a window screen crack, prompting him to look up to where the child dangled from a window ledge.

Austin Konopacki said he was 20 yards away at the time.

A screen is broken in a window at the Renaissance Apartments on Michigan Avenue in Jackson on Friday, June 20, 2014. Austin Konopacki of Jackson caught a two-year-old that fell from the window on Thursday. (J. Scott Park | MLive.com)

"I ran over there immediately, just in case, and the screen fell through, and I saw him just dangling there," Konopacki said. "There was a bush — but he wouldn't have fallen on the bush — there were these concrete blocks they use for landscaping right there and he would have fallen right on those."

Konopacki said the little boy, whose parents told Konopacki he almost 2 years old, dangled from the ledge of the window for two minutes before he fell. Konopacki said the only thing on his mind was 'Don't drop him. Don't miss.'

"The look in his eyes was so sad, and then he fell, and I leaned over and caught him, but just barely," Konopacki said. "It was scary. It still hasn't really hit me yet. I'm just happy he is OK, that is all I really care about."

Konopacki, who graduated two weeks ago from Lumen Christi High School, said he was working with M & K Jetting and Televising in the parking lot of Renaissance Apartments.

"We were kind of joking about catching him the whole time. ... He was talking out the window and talking to us the whole time," Konopacki said. "It was kind of cute ... we were playing Marco Polo and stuff."

When a co-worker had to leave the job site for tools, Konopacki said he decided to stay at the site because the boy had been pushing on the screen, making him nervous.

Jackson Police Lt. Elmer Hitt said Konopacki may have saved the little boy's life.

"The kid still had a pretty good injury to his forehead, but no doubt that if that guy had not caught the kid it would not have been good," Hitt said. "It would have been serious, if not, fatal."

Konopacki said the boy's father has told him the boy is doing OK, despite a large bump on his head from striking the house during his fall.

It was 18-year-old Konopacki's first time holding a baby.

"He was so grateful, and the mom was grateful too, but she was just in so much shock," Konopacki said. "I'm just so happy he is alive."

Theresa Ghiloni is a public safety reporter at the Jackson Citizen Patriot. Contact her at tghiloni@mlive.com. Follow her on Twitter.